The Stigma Surrounding Men and Make-up

It seems that in today's society, even in one that is so open-minded, there is still a huge stigma around men who wear make-up. There are tonnes of male make-up artists in the world, and with you-tube being a popular tool of today's generation that has never been more apparent. You-tube sensations like Jeffrey Star make it easier for men wearing make-up to be seen as social normality however there is still this idea that only gay men can wear make-up. From a young age men are taught about masculinity and what it means to be a man and this limits them. It's all about hierarchy, proving to other guys that they're not girls that they're not gay or women. Men are brought up to objectify women and believe that anything feminine shows a certain 'weakness'. Men don't feel secure in their masculinity and so they therefore feel a need to constantly prove themselves.

'Masculinity is not organic it's reactive it's not something that develops its a rejection of all things feminine.' -Dr Caroline Heldman. Political scientist educator. Taken from the documentary The mask we wear, available on Netflix, about the pressure put on men in today's society.

Gender is socially constructed. Society uses gender to simplify the world but this has been done to such an extent it puts pressure on men and women to fit into these small boxes. It makes our views and way's less authentic. If a man wants to wear makeup he should be free to do so without his masculinity being questioned and certainly not his sexuality. Makeup is a form of art and is all about freedom of expression which everyone is entitled to without judgement. All film stars wear make-up on set and pop stars like David Bowie and boy George are great examples of men rocking makeup.

There are ways of accentuating the face using makeup which can make you either look more masculine or more feminine which are used by drag queens and kings. So wearing make-up doesn't have to make you look more stereo-typically girly. It's also about gaining confidence and men should have the right to that too. Here's to hoping that one day makeup for men will be seen as normal and to breaking down gender barriers and stereotypes.

Thanks to my male models Alex Davis (First photo-@alexdvvis) and Charlie Aldridge (@c_aldridgeg)

Hayley x

#makeup #inspiration #men #mensmakeup